


Cassandra Bullshit

by Thaliel (Alodia)



Series: Love Interest Bullshit [5]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: All the time, F/M, FWP, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Romance, Varric writes a book for Cass, all happy, so much of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-16
Updated: 2015-07-16
Packaged: 2018-04-09 14:32:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4352540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alodia/pseuds/Thaliel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Varric and Cassandra have been circling around one another for some time now. Varric knows he needs to make the first move, and Cassandra deserves nothing less than perfection. </p><p>So he devises the perfect plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cassandra Bullshit

Twilight was breaking over Skyhold, filtering through ambient snowflakes and settling the mountains sparkling. The scenery was the very vision of romance and brought to mind images of cozy cabins in the forest and night spent pressed together naked.

Not that Cassandra Allegra Portia Calogera Filomena Pentaghast was thinking that at all.

At least, that is what she kept insisting as she leaned over the battlements and committed everything she saw to memory. The trees covered in fluffy snow swayed gently but held onto their white jackets, swirls of flakes glided through the air, and everything was still and clear.

Cassandra took a deep breath and let the chill air fill her completely, clearing out the last of her morning grogginess and preparing her for the day ahead. She came to this same spot every morning to wake herself up, admire the view, and to make sure her stern Seeker face was at the forefront. It would not due for the recruits to see her day dreaming or swooning.

Her mouth turned down into a scowl as she reviewed the last couple of days in her mind. Before this week, all her troops had seen of her was her stern Seeker face. It was how she had to handle them to make sure they were prepared, she could be soft and girly on her own time.

But when this week had dawned, her careful plans had been laid awry.

Varric, the insufferable dwarf, had shown up every morning and _trained_ with her recruits. He acted serious, sure, following her instructions performing drill after drill, but it was the _commentary_ that was driving her nuts.

“Oh Seeker,” he had called, “You look _ravishing_ standing over all of us simpletons. Your hair shining in the sun, shouting orders.”

Cassandra has sputtered, frowning and groaning, “Eyes on your dummy, _Varric_.”

“But Seeker, how can I commit such a crime when you’re but feet away?”

The troops around him snorted but knew better than to lough outright.

She approached he dwarf, the ground nearly shaking with her rage, and stood aside him, arms crossed. “Do you intend to do this all morning?”

Varric smiled impishly, “Of course.”

And he did exactly that, all morning, and the morning after. And three more mornings aside.

Cassandra was at the end of her rope, with no clear way of reigning in his antics. It was something that he should have been able to handle on her own, but Varric knew exactly where to push her buttons. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she also liked what he said. It was silly and playful but she knew he was serious deep down.

Nothing passed the dwarf’s lips without him thinking it over and perfecting it so he achieved the desired effect. In this case, he was _looking_ to make her flustered and blushing. Infuriatingly enough, he was succeeding.

The Seeker huffed and turned her attentions back to the mountain tops one last time, soaking in as much as she could before turning to leave.

Her thoughts plagued her as she slowly made her way down the wall to set of stairs. She didn’t have a clue what to do with Varric, and even less of an idea if she _should_ do anything.

Cassandra had to tamp down a blush and shook her head. The idea had come unbidden to her mind, but the more she got to know the dwarf, the more she began to think that perhaps…

His words weren’t unwelcome, anyway. They did make her blush, but had she been in a more private setting she would have laughed at some of his more creative phrases. It was absolutely absurd, but deep down she wished he would come to her in private and tell her tales. She adored his books, and had done so long before she had ever met him, to hear anything straight from his brilliant mind was a privilege to her.

“Ugh,” she moaned, glaring down at the ground as she walked, arms crossed, “How did I let this happen?”

“What’s that Seeker?” An amused voice asked.

Cassandra groaned again, lifting her head to glare at the newcomer, “Varric.”

The dwarf had the grace to wince, just a little, before he smiled wide and opened his arms congenially, “I come bearing gifts.”

“Gifts?” She asked, skeptical.

“Well,” he amended, “A gift.” He rustled around in his coat and pulled out a well bound leather book.

Cassandra watched with trepidation as he approached her and held it out. It was more novella than novel, but the volume was well bound in a supple leather that flexed in her hands as she took it from him. She turned it over, but there were no markings on the outside, no title or even his name.

“What is this?” She asked him finally, after several moments of searching.

He huffed, “I told you, it’s a gift.” Varric looked to the side, over the battlements, “Just read it, all right?”

He glanced back at her to make sure she nodded, and then departed, whistling low but lacking some of his usual swagger.

She tucked the slim volume into her robes and put all thoughts of it aside for now. She had men to train.

Varric did not appear at the morning’s training, which set Cassandra on edge. She didn’t know what to do with the change in behavior, and he kept expecting to hear him. A sly word here, a comment there, the air just seemed to be lacking without his voice slashing through it.

As soon as training was done, her mind turned its focus to the book still strapped to her side. For now, there were no mission to go on and no meetings to attend, so she had the entire evening to read whatever it was this book contained.

She made her way to the blacksmith’s and climbed the stairs, hoping for a bit of privacy. The loft was blissfully empty. Cassandra made herself comfortable, pulled out the book, and opened it. The first thing she noticed was that it was handwritten, in what appeared to be Varric’s own hand. She ran her hands over the slanting letters before focusing in on just what they said.

There was no title. No chapter numbers, nothing which came with Varric’s normal books. The first page simply said _To Cassandra_ and on the next, the story started.

Cassandra felt glued to her seat nearly the moment she began to read. Word after carefully crafted word spread across the smooth pages, weaving a tale she knew he meant just for her. It was more than her name on the first page, everything was tailored to her interests, what she liked. A dashing hero and a blushing maiden, both of them revolving around one another, never speaking their feelings but agonizing over them until one day, they confessed.

Tears filled her eyes as she avidly consumed their confession, feeling their feelings as her own and marveling at the dedication they had for one another. Time and time again they faced down foes side by side, with the man muttering witty one liners and the woman taking no prisoners. They worked well together and when they weren’t fighting, they spent long nights by the fire talking and laughing, sharing kisses and warm touches.

It was perfect. Everything Cassandra wanted in life. She wanted it so badly she felt in that moment she would do anything for it. She would go anywhere, speak to anyone. If only she could have something like what she had just read.

She flipped to the very last page, still enraptured, and came across the very last words in the book.

_Cass,_

_I know I’ve been annoying the shit out of you this last week. I’m sorry for that. I’m not sorry for all the times I made you smile though, to be clear, but I know how you want your troops to see you and that wasn’t it._

_I also won’t be apologizing for making you laugh. Maker knows I love to make you laugh, I just wish you could be laughing all the time. From now on, I promise to make you laugh as often as I can. And I promise to even make sure there are no troops around._

_I wrote this with you in mind, Cass. You. I know what you want out of life. It may not be obvious to everyone, but I know you. Deep down, you want romance and the grand gestures._

_I’d like to make that gesture now._

_We could have it all, if you’d like._

_Yours,_

_Varric_

She sat in shock for a moment, before cursing and making to throw the book away. Her hand stayed at the last moment, and she considered what this all really meant and how she felt about it. Would it really be so awful? To be with Varric? She rejected the idea reflexively, because of his time as her captive. But Varric is and always was a free man, and he was no longer her ward. There was no reason she couldn’t be with him.

But did she want to be with him?

This time, the answer was immediate. Yes

Cassandra smiled, almost to herself, and went to find the dwarf. They had a lot of talking to do.


End file.
